Tag Archives: Friday

The new 2016 camping season set to open April 1st this year. Please remember you must have your 2016 annual Heritage Lake POA Maintenance & Siltation Assement fee ($237) paid before you will be allowed to camp this season.

Now for the excitement….our campsite selection meeting will be at the HL Clubhouse/Office on 3/6/16 at 1PM, as usual. I have been supplied a site map showing the available sites for this camping season. Sites marked in yellow will be available for this season at the selection meeting. Please click on link below to see map of sites available.

As they are trying to beat the deadline for April 4th, opening day for this year’s camping season, the electric crew is hard at work! Please remember to stay clear as to not make their job any harder in meeting that goal!

Hoping Mother Nature is kind to us for moving in…NO RAIN or SNOW PLEASE!!! It should be a busy, messy (due to the weather & all the excavating for the new electric service), confusing, exciting, frustrating…but mostly just ready to get into the “summer” swing of the camping/lake life again! The winter has been cruel in so many ways, to so many people throughout the US, everyone is just sick of it & wishes it would MOVE ON!

On to important matters….I can’t express enough about being “connected” with the campground & knowing what’s going on…and participating. If you don’t take the time to come to meetings, or to ask questions (campground board members..please), you are missing out on what might be very important information, as some have come to find out recently. 😦 Make sure Charles & Jinjer Bragg (returning Campground Managers & on staff starting 4/1) have your current information: mailing address, emergency contact info, phone numbers, email address(es), etc. I can’t express enough about how important that is for emergency situations! Cheryl Fry, blog manager, is also collecting information to compile a handout list for anyone that would like to share their info with fellow campers, strictly voluntarily. Another way to be informed is join the blog. I hope to be more frequent with my posts & pictures this season. But I do need your help…feel free to submit special notes, dates, pictures that you want shared on the blog & I will get them on. I have created a new email address strictly for contact with blog information sharing or if you need to ask me something: heritagelakeblog@gmail.com

Well keeping it short…haha! Hope we see you sometime during opening weekend..April 4th.

Hope you all are “weathering” the winter season so far! I am sure you’re all busy with the festive activities we all experience this time of year but wanted to make sure you are informed on upcoming 2014 camping season topics…so please mark your calendars for our annual HL Campground Winter Meeting. It will be held on Sunday, January 26th at 1PM until ? at the HL POA Clubhouse. We will advise on the new electricity billing & payment details during this meeting. We will need to get a master email address list & update any other personal information that may have changed to make sure we keep everyone informed! Hope to see a good turn out!! Wishing all of you & your families a “Very Merry Christmas and a Happy Healthy New Year!!!”

I am posting the new HLPOA approved HL Camping Rules for 2014 below for your review. I think they are to be mailed out with the paperwork for the 2014 camping season.

To make the campground facilities available to the greatest number of members, official rules and regulations are established by the Management and are posted in convenient places in the campground for your information and guidance.In addition, the following conditions should be observed during your stay.

Classification of Campers:

Permanent Camper: Those campers who receive a lot for the camping season. Half season campers are those who receive their lot on or after the 4th of July weekend.

Sponsored Campers: Those campers who are guests of POA member and have been signed in by members.

Transient Campers – Those campers who are of a temporary nature, rentals may be daily, monthly or yearly if lots are available and the Committee approves.

To use the Heritage Lake Campground and its facilities you must have a current membership card and present it to the Campground Manager when registering except in the case of a camper who is a guest of a POA member.

All campers must check in at the campground manager’s office to confirm their arrival and pay their camping fees and any storage fees that may be required.If the office is closed upon your arrival, all fees shall be paid upon the manager’s return.

There are no reservations for transient camping.All sites are on a first come first serve basis.

It shall be against all rules and regulations to locate any transient camper, tent, trailer, camping or to sleep in any unauthorized area.There shall be no camping or sleeping in storage area.

One family or one camping group shall be permitted to occupy one campsite in the campground.

A camper under eighteen (18) years of age must be accompanied by an adult or receive prior special permission from the campground manager before camping.

A family consists for the most part of parents, dependant children and other relatives.

Guests may occupy a campsite only if one is available and it does not deprive a member of a campsite.A guest may share a site with a member anytime, regular camping fees apply.

All gray water, as well as black water, must be emptied at the designated dump station.The use of any form of drywell is strictly forbidden per the Indiana State Board of Health.Violation of this rule could result in the forfeiture of your camping privileges.

Washing dishes, clothes, or pets at the drinking fountains or in the bathhouse facilities is strictly prohibited.Exception for animals to assist the visually and or hearing impaired.No pets of any kind will be allowed in the bathhouse.

No one under 14 years of age will be allowed to operate a golf cart or similar, non-licensed vehicle unless supervised by an adult.

Any lighting and displaying of aerial fireworks is strictly prohibited.

Owners are responsible for their pets.

Pets on your campsite must be kept on a leash or in cage.If the pet is not caged or on a leash when on your campsite, then the pet must be attended to by a responsible person at all times.

Pets off your campsite must be on a leash at all times.

No pets will be allowed in or around the pavilion during campground activities, except for animals to assist the visually and/or hearing impaired.

Pet owners are responsible for the clean up of pet waste.

No weapons of any kind, including firearms, are to be displayed in the campground.

When breaking camp the campsite must be left lean and orderly.The water must be turned off at the hydrant, all trash and garbage must be deposited in the dumpsters.

Please observe the 5mph speed limit and the one way signs. Anyone caught speeding may lose their camping privileges.

All vehicles, RV’s, tents and boat trailers must be parked or located three (3) feet from any designated campground roadway.

Violation of any of the Heritage Lake “Camping Rules” could result in the forfeiture of your camping privileges.

The camper waives any claims against the owner (Heritage Lake Property Owners Association), its agent or employees for damage arising out of the use by the permitted or any member of his party of the campground facilities.The owner (Heritage Lake Property Owners Association) makes no representations as to the suitability or safety of the campsite and is not responsible for the actions or control of other campers or person in the campground.

When you are notified of receiving a permanent campsite, you should have your camper their lot on or before May 1st, or stand a chance in forfeiting that campsite and fee for the season. After acceptance to permanent camping, refunds will be granted only in the event of death and/or long term illness that results in the renter not being able to use the lot.Granted refunds will be adjusted down from the fee paid based on weekly deductions until June 30th.Absolutely no refunds will be granted after July 1st.

Camping is not allowed prior to the first Friday in April.

The camping season will open the first 1st Friday in April and end on the last Sunday in October.The campground manager will be on site from the first Friday in April through the last weekend in October.The campground will be locked for the season, however primitive camping may be allowed by the POA Manager through the end of November.

All campers, trailers and boats must be removed from the campground or stored in accordance with the winter storage agreement.Winter storage agreements can be obtained from the campground manager or the P.O.A. office by December 1st of the current year.Unpaid fees will be attached to the Member’s Assessment when they are sent their current billing.

Campsites are non-transferable. Sub-leasing is not allowed.

Any person using the facility other than a permanent camper must be registered with the campground manager by the registered permanent camper in advance.The person using the campsite will check in with the campground manager at time of their arrival.When vacating your campsite during the camping season for vacation or other reasons for a period of time, you must notify the campground manager on how long you will be away.

Any person using the facility other than a permanent camper must be registered with the campground manager by the registered permanent camper in advance.The person using the campsite will check in with the campground manager at time of arrival.

Limit of one tent or pop-up per campsite.

No guest recreational vehicle, boat, boat trailer or tent may be stored on your permanent campsite.

A permanent camper is responsible for keeping their lot trimmed.They must keep the campsite clean at all times.If the camper does not meet these requirements, the lot will be maintained and a fee will be charged.The fee will be paid at the appearance of the camper or attached to their POA fee.

Any situation not covered in the permanent camping rules or Heritage Lake Camp rules will be decided by the campground committee, in accordance with the POA policy.

Any shelter structure, screened or unscreened constructed on the campsite shall not exceed three hundred (300) square feet floor space and shall not have post stuck into the ground.Assembly shall be or nuts/bolts and or screws to enable ease disassembly.Roofs shall not cover the camper only the deck. Before any construction begins, the plans must be submitted to and approved by the campground committee.Existing structures prior to 10/17/96 are unaffected by this rule.

Decks and or porches for campers shall not be constructed with post in the ground. Existing decks and or porches prior to 10/17/96 are unaffected by this rule. No roofs shall be constructed shall be constructed over the camper, only the deck.

All water and electrical lines from the RV to utility source must be buried to a sufficient level for mowing.

POA assessment fees must be paid by April 1st of the current year in order to camp.

A “Camper not in good standing” for the current season will be eligible for a campsite for the next camping season as a status of “First time camper”.

All campground members are responsible for their guests and their adherence of enforcement to all campground rules at all times.

Failure to comply with any of the rules or camping rules will result in your status as a “Camper not in good Standing”.

The campground committee Reserves the Right to revoke the camping privileges of anyone who:

Commits any act that endangers the health or safety of another guest.

Commits any illegal act.

Continuously fails to follow campground rules at the request of the campground committee.The campground manager may revoke the camping privileges of any transient or guest camper at any time with consulting the committee.

All golf carts, ATV’s etc. must have front & rear lights and use them from dawn until dusk

All guests must register with the manager upon entering the campground

Permanent campers agree and understand that they are responsible for paying for the electricity provided to their site.The utility will invoice the Association for the total electricity used for all campsites; then the Association will invoice each camper monthly by the Association for the electric bill for their specific site.The electric bill invoice must be paid within Fifteen (15) days from the date of the invoice.If a camper does not pay the electric bill invoice within thirty (30) from the date of the invoice, the electricity to the site will be disconnected until the camper’s account is brought current.In addition, the Association has the right to pursue collection and reimbursement from a camper for his site’s electric bills paid by the Association but then unreimbursed by the camper.If collection action becomes necessary, the camper agrees that the Association is entitled to recover its legal fees, court costs, and other expenses resulting from the collection action.The Association and the utility company are not responsible to any camper for any damage or loss caused by a disconnected electric line due to non-payment of the electric bill by the camper.

Approved by the Campground Committee 9/17/13 Approved by the POA Board 12/12/13

First off, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all those who are serving or have served our wonderful country insuring the freedoms we are so blessed to have. Without your sacrifices we could not continue to be the great country we are today. And for that, we are eternally grateful! May God bless you & yours…and may God bless the USA!!!

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There were fun times had at the campground this Memorial Day weekend! Last year the weather was scorching, this year surprisingly cool, in fact pretty chilly, especially in the mornings & late nights! The campground was packed with campers, golf carts, kids, dogs, campfires & FUN! Saturday morning started off with the 2nd Wacky Family Olympics competition. We started out with 3 teams: the “Booyahs”, the “Hutchs” & the “Wacky BGs”. The competition started at 10’ish AM with “Wheel Me” or actually a good ole’ fashioned wheelbarrow race. After many laughs shared by all, we continued to game #2, “Hole in One’ – 20 bean bag tosses for each team at the corn hole boards. For game #3, “Hop till Ya Drop”, a tough 30 seconds of jump rope competition. Team Wacky BG was packing a ringer! One of their adult players is enrolled with a jump rope program…she actually did 82 in just 30 seconds!! Her rope was smoking! Once our jumpers caught their breath, we continued on to game #4, “Dress Me Blind”. One adult & one kid from each team was given a basket of adult’s clothes. The adult was blindfolded & had to “dress” the kid with the help of the kids’ instruction! The funniest part…when they got to the “bra”. From the pictures included, you will notice our 3 teams’ “kid” players were from ages 2-7! It was funny to watch & even more fun to cheer on. With game #5, we had a late team join the playing field…the “Plunketeers”. This game was the most fun (expressed by all participating & spectators)…”Scrambled Eggs”! Each team had 2 adults & 2 kids (or some had to do it twice if some of their members needed a nap!) & were given a metal spoon & 4 raw eggs. They had to go down & back, down & back as in a normal egg race BUT we were giving the chance for some lead-breaking points! For every unbroken egg at the end of the relay, teams could receive 5 bonus points!!! Every team still had all their eggs…unbroken after the competition. Everyone had so much fun, we decided to do a second relay. Players seemed to be a little braver & a lot faster this time. There was only one casualty (egg)! Moving on to game #6, “Shoot Out at the Square”, a basketball shooting competition with 2 adults & 2 kids from each team. Fortunately the campground has a kids goal so it kept it fair! Funny thing…just like last year, the kids scored as much if not more than the adults! Even better, the Moms out scored the Dads…teehee!!! Game #7 was the last “teams” competition & the most risky, “Blind Man’s Bluff”, a blindfolded obstacle course through the campground playground! We decided to just take 1 adult & 1 kid from each team for the competition due to the challenges of the event. The kid was blindfolded & the adult “guided” them through the course. To the slide, up & over. To the 3 playground rockers, rock 3 times on each. To the monkey bars, climb up to top & back, back down. To the swings, swing 3 times on just one. To the merry-go-round, get on & adult spins 3 times….then run back to the starting line. We only scored 1 fat lip on the jungle gym, I think the adult was trying to hurry her to quickly!! Our Olympics finale`….was open to any kids that were at the campground at that time. “Brain Freeze”, popsicle eating contest. It was messy, but not nearly as bad as last years 90 degree weather (and bees!). All in all it was a great day & even though we didn’t have many teams, those that did play had FUN! I also want to say a big THANK YOU to my Brother & Sister-in-Law, Carl & Lisa Pritchett & our youngest Daughter, Tori Fry for all their help & support this weekend with all the various festivities we were in charge of! I couldn’t have done it without you!!! I love you guys!!!

We had a Hot Dog Awards Banquet to celebrate the competition & to present awards to our winners……drum roll……GOLD went to Wacky BGs, SILVER went to Booyahs & BRONZE went to Hutchs. The Plunketeers were only 1 point behind Hutchs, not bad for starting the competition halfway through.

Sunday morning we had our annual Indy 500 potluck pitch-in breakfast at the Shelter House…..YUM! Wasn’t much left on the tables, pretty well cleaned out everything! Sunday night we had a surprise performer that played for almost 3 hours just for tips, Chris Hurst. I guess he grew up around the area & always used to come down to the campground when he was younger. He strolled in the campground Friday night with his guitar & was playing. We asked how much he charged, long story short…we really enjoyed his talents Sunday night & hope to have him back real soon!

Monday everyone just did their own thing. Some stuck around for a while, some headed home early. We headed out on the boat! It was much warmer than Sunday but was windy. We got a couple of hours on the lake before the rain started in. But for the most part it was a pretty good weekend….Hope yours was too!!

So we had a productive campground meeting on 5/18 morning! Some of you might not be up to date on our “fundraising” ability…virtually there are NONE! The HLPOA did not renew the gambling license for 2013 so we are not permitted to do any 50/50, pull tabs, raffles, bingo, anything that you “gamble” for. That being said, we have to work off of the remaining funds available from last years gaming.

With limited funds available, we will only be having one band this season (unless we get enough donations from campers to afford another band possibly Labor Day wknd) which is scheduled for Friday night 7/5 with Drop Dead Joker (have been here before) starting at 8:30pm! They are pretty good & very reasonable. It was scheduled for Friday night as not to interfere with viewing the lake’s fireworks on Saturday night.

We can try to do more karaoke on Saturday nights if there’s interest. There are two different campers in the park that can offer their service & will do so for tips….so as long as we can get enough tips to make it worth their effort/work. We should be able to get one of them to do so when we want to set it up.

ONLY FUNDRAISER WE CAN HAVE: Silent Auctions! We had great success w/last years auction & since it’s the only way we can actually raise money this year we voted to do 2 this season. So starting now until July 4th we will be accepting “new & like new” item donations for the auction to start on 7/5 at Noon & run thru 7/6 4P when bidding will end. Winners announced at 8PM with payments due then (check/cash). Second Silent Auction will be Labor Day wknd! So mark your calendars, clean out your closets & garage…help support the campground!

PARENTS: Please remind your children NOT TO TOUCH THE WILD BABY ANIMALS & EGGS in the park! They will be abandoned by their Mommies & will die. We have had duck eggs & baby bunnies disturbed. Also they are NOT TO RIDE ANYTHING ON THE SIDEWALKS OR UNDER THE SHELTER. And please not leave their bikes (etc.) in front of restroom doors, someone’s going to get hurt. Thank you for your assistance in this matter!

We have our monthly campground meeting the 3rdSaturday morning at 10AM every month (unless otherwise stated). It sure would be nice to see more attendance, new faces, new suggestions, participation on the workings of the campground. We seem to always have the same people there. The same people donating their time, ideas, etc. Don’t like how things are going…come, participate & stay informed!

I have updated the calendar page here on the blog so while you’re here be sure to check it out! This Saturday is the Wacky Family Olympics!!! Hope the teams are ready for some fun competition. Don’t forget to charge up your phones & cameras, I’m sure there will be some great photo ops! And for the Hot Dog Awards Banquet Saturday night, please contribute a side dish (hot or cold) & a dessert, Don’t forget your own table service (plates, utensils) & your drinks. The campground will furnish the hot dogs, buns & condiments. Here’s to a great, fun, safe Memorial Day Weekend!!!

So it was another COLD, WET weekend at the ole’ campground again this past weekend. 😦 Friday it was almost like a ghost town around there…very few campers! Our usual Friday night dinner fare of roasted hotdogs over a blazing campfire was cancelled due to soggy ground surrounding the fire pit. So four of us headed to Dave’s All American Pizza on US36 on west side of Danville, IN. Quite a unique patriotic decor of military memorabilia. The food was pretty good, most of us had the salad bar, the prices were fair. We have driven past many times but this was our first dining experience. I am sure over the course of the camping season, we will probably dine there again.

There was definitely more life around the campground on Saturday. We had our first monthly campground meeting at 10am Saturday morning. We had a pretty good turnout, hopefully it’s a new trend and not because it was the “first one”. Our elected President, Ron Riggen, had to step down to Vice President due to his election to the Heritage Lake POA Board. He could not retain his President position and be on the HLPOA board. That, in turn, moved the Vice President, Dave Fry, to the President’s position. Soooo the gavel was passed! The meeting was pretty uneventful until we reached the topic of expired gambling license. For those of you not at the meeting, we are no longer able to do 50/50, pull tabs, bingo, etc., so our fundraising ability has pretty much come to a quick halt. We’re not sure if the license will be renewed or what grandiose fundraising ideas we can come up with. We welcome fundraising ideas, keeping in mind camper participation can be scarce. Stay tuned for updates as we know it.

Saturday actually turned out pretty nice considering all the storms we’ve had recently! Our campground event calendar offered up a ham & beans dinner at 7pm in the Shelter House. Even though we didn’t have a big turnout, we had a delicious dinner! I would like to thank the Clements, the Woods, the Riggens, & the Gates that joined us (the Frys) for their contributions and in participating! We managed to raise $16…woohoo! I’m sure everyone in attendance took a little something home with them…GAS! teehee ;-P

Thanks for tuning in folks….until my next post…be safe, be healthy…& come on BETTER WEATHER!!!

Well there wasn’t a lot of campers this weekend, but we enjoyed another hot, sticky weekend. We did get a little relief on Thursday afternoon when it decided to rain…although it was more of a tease, I think, for the thirsty crops, gardens, flower beds, lawns, etc.! The temperature dropped after the shower, making the evening pretty enjoyable.

I last posted on Friday (6/22) morning before Donna & I headed out for the items needed for Dirty Bingo & Wacky Family Olympics (6/30). We set off with goals of hitting garage sales in Greencastle (IN), plus 3 more stops. We stopped at 3 different garage sales. We were able to find some clothes we need for the Olypmics, some kitchen stuff for Dirty Bingo prizes & I picked up a darling little summer dress with clear summer heals (perfect for the dress). We made a quick stop at Krogers for needed bottled water & beer. Then our favorite place….Dollar Tree! I usually spend way more than I should in there but I get a lot for what I spend. I just know it doesn’t take long when you keep throwing stuff in the cart thinking it’s just a buck & end up an hour later totaling out at like $50. But in all fairness, I doubt I would get a most of that stuff, that cheap, even at Walmart!

By the time we returned to the campground, the Bloody Mary session was about to begin. Friday nights at the campground, for our group, usually ends up fairly simple as far as meal planning. Usually there’s four of us that just roast hot dogs or sausages over the fire. Sometimes we’ll peal off the label & open a can of sauerkraut or maybe some coney dog sauce . We heat it up around the edge of the fire pit. We all contribute side items (the simpler, the better).

Saturday meals that’s a different story. We have some pretty elaborate spreads! We’ll settle on an entree, in which everyone contributes their portion of meat. It’s pretty much like a potluck dinner…good food, good friends, great beverages. Who could ask for anything more? We decided we needed to eat early because we were bringing “snacks” to Dirty Bingo later that night. Our food of choice (trying to keep simple) Stuffed meat cakes filled with your choice of diced multi-color sweet peppers, onions, mushrooms, cheese & spices, I forgot to pack the bacon pieces 😦 Our menu also included: coleslaw, potato salad, garden salad, macaroni salad, cottage cheese, salsa (I love Chuck & Dave’sSalsa we get at Sam’s, fresh salsa w/garlic), monkey bread, iced brownies & oatmeal cookies. The really sad part…there were only 6 of us eating together. But you know what, that’s what makes it still feel like camping (even in our hotel on wheels) when you have potluck pitch-ins, family reunions,summer picnics..just having large family gatherings where you really got to actually play with your cousins & get to know them. But sadly that’s sort of a dying tradition. And that just gave me an idea for a future topic.

DirtyBingo All in all….I think everyone that was there…enjoyed it & from comments we got before we left this morning, would be interested in doing it again. For those who didn’t play, I’ll explain the “jest” of it.

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There were “white elephant” prizes that were designated as kids (12 & under) & adults (13 & over). Whether you have your participants bring a wrapped prize or you supply the prizes & charge per card. You start out just doing regular bingo until all prizes are gone. Then…you start stealing from others! If you bingo you get to look around & take from someone else. If there’s multiple bingo’s.. they are done in order called. A prize can not be stolen more that once for game called. It’s always so much fun to have some of them be the hot “steal” & they get passed around numerous times. After this continues for many bingo’s the caller will warn of nearing last bingo. We take turns in opening prizes to get laughs on what winners end up with. So if you didn’t make it to our first Dirty Bingo night, you might want to next time. And for the record, there were mainly 2 boxes that were stolen the most…a Bacardi rum box that contained 2 glass mixing bowls (auction treasures) & 1 bag of Christmas cookie cutters (garage sale bargains)….enjoy Rob! Second one was a big, kind of short but long plain box that felt like it had nothing in it. The only sound that was heard…a little sand/dirt that was in the box from being stored out in our pole barn. But I knew what was in the box! I bought it & I boxed it, after a diligent search for just the right box. I must share, there was some cheating going on, some were hiding their prizes…shameful (lol). When Donna & I were shopping at Dollar Tree in Greencastle, I found these ginormous flyswatters for a BUCK!!! (I knew I should have bought one for myself also…hopefully they still have them when I go back next weekend!!!) Congrats Danielle on the awesome…ginormous flyswatter…that could be used for many purposes….some a little naughty too ;-). Oh….Wyatt….you should have offered to trade your gift w/one of the girls. I hope you didn’t throw them away…2 new packages of good ponytail holders in a cute little flower box for safe keeping, even Moms can appreciate those kind of things. The fun part is…you never know whats inside your prize.

Until my next post….everyone have a safe week & we’ll look forward to next weekend! Stay tuned for Wacky Family Olympic updates or stuff/props I may need to borrow for the events………Please & Thanks……………Cheryl